Lirica Review...12Nov East Med and 23Nov Transatlantic

[nitnyleo]

It ain't good.

 

My previous cruise experience includes Universe Explorer, NCL Sea, Celebrity Zenith and QM2. I sailed the QM2 a week before boarding the Lirica...so the comparison is fresh.

 

First, the good points:

~ My cabin stewards, Olivia and Marcos, were excellent. They even let me stay in my cabin during disembarktation, which took forever. (Docked at 6:30; had to vacate cabin by 7:45; I didn't get off the ship until after 10:00).

~ My dinner waiter, Bagus. He was always pleasant, even though he was overworked (because Lirica is seriously understaffed).

~ Being able to buy alcohol in the duty free shop and take it back to the cabin. This was in effect for the East Med and part of the Transatlantic. It is my understanding that you won't be able to take bottles back to your cabin for the Caribbean cruises.

---------------------------------------------------------

The negative aspects can be generally described as amateur and disorganized. The ship, in general, is understaffed and much of the staff is under-trained. A lot of my complaints were little things....but after 4 weeks, all of the "little things" add up to a generally negative impression.

 

~ My biggest complaint is...why can't the ship provide weather forecasts? If not for the next port or next day, then at least provide a forecast for the rest of the day!!!!!!!!!

 

~ My second biggest complaint is the "nickel and dime" pricing and the price gouging that occurred for the Transatlantic segment. Internet for East Med - 3.30 Euro for 1st ten minutes/.33 minute thereafter; for Transatlantic, $6 for 1st ten minutes/60 cents minute thereafter. Dry clean trousers - 4 Euros went to $10.00; vodka tonic - 4.20 Euro to $6.75 (the QM2 only charged $4.54 for a vodka tonic!)

Every ship I have ever been on offered free dance step classes; this ship charges! The excursion prices were similarly inflated. And, there is a charge for room service! I could go on........................

 

~ My third biggest complaint is consistently leaving and arriving at ports behind schedule. (If you book an independent tour prior to sailing, make sure your tour operator offers a refund if your ship doesn't get there in time).

 

~ Food...in general, they had limited service. There were periods during the middle of the day, when there wasn't anything available. (For instance, to not offer food between 5PM (end of afternoon snack) and 8:30/9PM (second seating) was ridiculous). And they were consistently changing the times of which restaurants were open when.

 

Breakfast buffet had a good variety (and had the best mass produced

bacon I ever had). But, when its over, that includes the juice and

milk (and if the juice runs out before 9:30, too bad). And who needs

rock music blasting away at 6AM when you go up for a cup of coffee?

 

Lunch buffet also had a good variety. But avoid the burgers...very dry

(and letting them sit in water for a couple of hours doesn't make them

juicy). The pizza on the East Med was square with a thick crust; on the

Transatlantic, it was round with a thin crust. It was okay (not as good as

the QM2). And, I never had hotdogs as a topping before (and I never will

again). And, hopefully, MSC will discover the availability of American style

relish.

 

Dinner....Food quality was uneven....some days, very good; some, not.

Aside from the prime rib, the beef was of poor quality - tough, dry,

tasteless and not cut correctly. The risottos...some days were

excellent; some days it was a "rice disaster". The pasta was

always cooked "just right". Overall, I enjoyed the food; but only

because I was able to have things I never had before. The menu was

always disorganized...

 

Midnight buffet...I only made it to midnight twice...both times it was

danish/sweet rolls...didn't have any.

 

Room service was the worst...a very, very limited menu to choose from.

A salad, a soup and a choice of 2 sandwiches...all of which had an

extra charge! Beverages, except for liquor, were free, tho.

 

~ Cabin...in general, was poorly designed. Except for the 40 watt lamps on the nightstand, there was no lighting at the rear of the cabin. In order to read in bed, you need to turn on all of the lights and catch the light reflecting off the mirrors. (I had an inside cabin). There wasn't enough closet space, because they wasted too much space on the mini-bar. (My cabin on the QM2 had almost the same square footage, yet QM2 managed to fit in a whole lot more storage space, 2 chairs (REAL chairs (not a stool with a back)),a table and a shower that you could actually move around in.) To be fair, the cabin and bath was a whole lot bigger than the NCL Sea.

 

Like I wrote, it was a lot of little things that demonstrated that they really don't know what they're doing. My general impression of the ship is negative. I can't see them making it in the Caribbean with competition like Carnival and NCL. I would never take this ship for a Caribbean cruise. However, I might take it again if I need transportation to/from Europe, since I don't fly.

[Oxo]

I read this review and value your opinion. We have not been on MSC, however, I can say that we have experienced some of the same concerns on other cruise lines, too. In fact, we just got off of the Mercury (Celebrity) and posted some of the concerns we had with the food. We were very specific. We also met up with a couple who cruised the QM2 and paid $14,000 for their QM2 cruise and thought it was a total disaster. So, things do happen regardless of the ship/cruise line.

I am not flaming you or disagreeing with your posting. In many ways we agree with your experiences. I will try to add to your comments with our experience within the past 2 years having cruised on HAL, Celebrity and Princess.

 

~The negative aspects can be generally described as amateur and disorganized. The ship, in general, is understaffed and much of the staff is under-trained. A lot of my complaints were little things....but after 4 weeks, all of the "little things" add up to a generally negative impression.'

 

All cruise lines are cutting back in staff and services. We know that we can cruise cheaper now than we did 19 years ago. We have seen the cutbacks and understand why they do so. Regardless of cruise line, many times we are finding that the people at Guest Relations/Purser Desk are new and never trained on what the correct information is or have never before interfaced with people. We understand that and do not blame the newbies, we blame Corp.

 

 

~ My biggest complaint is...why can't the ship provide weather forecasts? If not for the next port or next day, then at least provide a forecast for the rest of the day!!!!!!!!!

 

Sort of surprised that this was your biggest complaint. However, everyone has different priorities. Ours would be cabin, food, entertainment, in that order.

 

~ My second biggest complaint is the "nickel and dime" pricing and the price gouging that occurred for the Transatlantic segment. Internet for East Med - 3.30 Euro for 1st ten minutes/.33 minute thereafter; for Transatlantic, $6 for 1st ten minutes/60 cents minute thereafter. Dry clean trousers - 4 Euros went to $10.00; vodka tonic - 4.20 Euro to $6.75 (the QM2 only charged $4.54 for a vodka tonic!)

 

Even at 60 cents a minute that is still cheaper than HAL and Celebrity. They charge 75 cents a minute. Princess charges 35 cents a minute or free if you have cruised with them over 5 times. Drinks are within the same ballpark on the other cruise lines. No more, duty free cheap prices. Wine is now $5 - 7 glass for the cheap stuff and the cheapest bottle of wine will run your $22.00 plus 15%. Dry cleaning is free on Princess if you have more than 16 cruises. Celebrity charges the suites a fee for dry cleaning, too.

 

 

~ Every ship I have ever been on offered free dance step classes; this ship charges! The excursion prices were similarly inflated. And, there is a charge for room service! I could go on........................

 

Agree with you on the free dance step classes and room service.. Normally they are free on the other cruise lines.

 

 

~ My third biggest complaint is consistently leaving and arriving at ports behind schedule. (If you book an independent tour prior to sailing, make sure your tour operator offers a refund if your ship doesn't get there in time).

 

This is a norm with many of the cruise lines, too. We have missed ports, came in late at night only to see everything closed. In fact, I have seen many complaints on this on these boards.

 

~ Food...in general, they had limited service. There were periods during the middle of the day, when there wasn't anything available. (For instance, to not offer food between 5PM (end of afternoon snack) and 8:30/9PM (second seating) was ridiculous). And they were consistently changing the times of which restaurants were open when.

 

Normally there is something available on the other cruise lines. So nothing to add here.

 

~Breakfast buffet had a good variety (and had the best mass produced

bacon I ever had). But, when its over, that includes the juice and

milk (and if the juice runs out before 9:30, too bad). And who needs

rock music blasting away at 6AM when you go up for a cup of coffee?

 

Princess charges for juice after breakfast. HAL and Celebrity does not and it is always available. As for the music, 6AM is a little early I agree.

 

~Lunch buffet also had a good variety. But avoid the burgers...very dry

(and letting them sit in water for a couple of hours doesn't make them

juicy). The pizza on the East Med was square with a thick crust; on the

Transatlantic, it was round with a thin crust. It was OK (not as good as

the QM2). And, I never had hot dogs as a topping before (and I never will

again). And, hopefully, MSC will discover the availability of American style

relish.

 

Have seen the burgers sit out after they are cooked. Normally don't eat Burgers and hot dogs on a cruise. Too many other items are better. As for pizza I like the thick crust and DH likes the thin. So that would be OK with us.

 

 

~Dinner....Food quality was uneven....some days, very good; some, not.

Aside from the prime rib, the beef was of poor quality - tough, dry,

tasteless and not cut correctly. The risottos...some days were

excellent; some days it was a "rice disaster". The pasta was

always cooked "just right". Overall, I enjoyed the food; but only

because I was able to have things I never had before. The menu was

always disorganized...

 

Read my reviews on the Celebrity Cruise Critic Board about the Mercury dining experience. No different than what you experienced. Others had the same experience on other ships/cruise lines. Don't know what you mean by the menu was always disorganized?

 

~Midnight buffet...I only made it to midnight twice...both times it was

danish/sweet rolls...didn't have any.

Midnight buffets are almost a thing of the past. Too much waste and too late for many people. Don't go to them if a ship has them. Celebrity had a midnight buffet only on the last formal night. Princess does a buffet every night until 4am.

 

~Room service was the worst...a very, very limited menu to choose from.

A salad, a soup and a choice of 2 sandwiches...all of which had an

extra charge! Beverages, except for liquor, were free, tho.

 

This was a negative if you are charged for room service. However, I would not use it since I could get by on 1 or 2 meals a day. That is how I stay slim and trim. My DH will eat 3 meals a day on a ship.

 

~ Cabin...in general, was poorly designed. Except for the 40 watt lamps on the nightstand, there was no lighting at the rear of the cabin. In order to read in bed, you need to turn on all of the lights and catch the light reflecting off the mirrors. (I had an inside cabin). There wasn't enough closet space, because they wasted too much space on the mini-bar. (My cabin on the QM2 had almost the same square footage, yet QM2 managed to fit in a whole lot more storage space, 2 chairs (REAL chairs (not a stool with a back)),a table and a shower that you could actually move around in.) To be fair, the cabin and bath was a whole lot bigger than the NCL Sea.

 

Cabins tend to be small, not lighted well and showers small. Princess has some small showers, Celebrity good size and HAL has very good size cabins.

 

~Like I wrote, it was a lot of little things that demonstrated that they really don't know what they're doing. My general impression of the ship is negative. I can't see them making it in the Caribbean with competition like Carnival and NCL. I would never take this ship for a Caribbean cruise. However, I might take it again if I need transportation to/from Europe, since I don't fly.

 

I personally don't think NCL is a challenge to any other cruise line. Too many people we know that have cruised on NCL recently would not go on it again. However, that is personal choice. It has been years since we have been on NCL. Carnival is something that never interested us. However, many others love it. What ever 'floats your boat.'

 

We wish you well in the future on your cruises. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[antcyd]

I am sorry to hear about your experience however not in the least surprised, I sailed on the Opera last year over New Years and your complaints were almost identical to the ones I had a year ago(with the exception of weather reports, not a big deal for me but definitly identical with alot of other issues you brought up especially food)

We decided to give MSC another try in the hopes things had gotten better in the course of a year and so we booked this upcoming cruise with a bit of hesitation but alot of optimism, I am hoping our experience is somewhat differerent than yours but we will see, we leave in 3 days and will have to let you all know when we get back. Trying to go with a positive attitude:)

Cindee

[nitnyleo]

Before these cruises, I never considered weather reports to be of much importance either. But, only because the weather was so predictable on the cruises I had previously taken.

 

But, the weather in the fall is erratic. They want me to book excursions 2 days out from port, but can't tell me what the weather will be? Do I really want to book a beach trip if it is going to be pouring rain? No! Do I want to book a Blue Grotto tour if it is rough seas and only in the 50's? No!

 

The ship lost TV satellite transmission for 3 days during the Transatlantic crossing (QM2 lost it for less than a day)....meanwhile the rumors of the last hurricane circulated....and if you enjoy sunbathing, a weather report can help you plan the day when you're stuck out in the middle of the Atlantic with very little happening onboard and they can only provide 1 movie that they play continuously for 24 hours. (Thank God I took my computerized chess game).

 

In my opinion, they were more interested in selling the excursions for Martinique and Grenada.

[nitnyleo]

I understand that every ship and every sailing has its faults.

 

Of course, my previous sailings were not perfect.

I've missed ports before, had bad food before, etc., etc.,.....

 

I just found it hard to believe that any one ship could experience so many deficiencies from beginning to end. If anything could go wrong, it did on the Lirica. (Well, not "anything" ... they managed to get across the Atlantic without capsizing or breaking in half). :D

 

But the poor service was consistent; not occasional.

 

And, I too, blame Corp....

 

Hard to believe that this line is being run by a former Celebrity exec (or, maybe this is why he is a FORMER Celebrity exec).

[Dolphins]

It would appear the "European Experience" needs some fine tuning before it will be ready to compete with NCL in New York.

[goodclicks]

The MSC cruise was my first one and was absolutely wonderful. However I have nothing to compare it to but speaking to my fellow passengers who were experienced cruisers they felt MSC was slightly lacking, so I acknowledge and understand your complaints, Nintyleo. They mentioned, for example, not being shown to and around the cabin, food not being prepared especially for you, some staff being worked very hard and an overall lack of coherence in the management. They realised MSC was a lot cheaper than the competition (especially when tips are included - although I believe this is changing) and I think they were pleasantly surprised overall at the quality for the price. It seems MSC are now aiming for the premium passenger so they will have a few improvements to make before they can charge the associated premium fares.

 

I wonder how MSC's fares compare to other lines in the US market? I for one am happy to pay two thirds or less and cruise up to twice as often for the same money...

 

And talking of this, this brings me to my questions: how was the weather for the Atlantic crossing - warm, dry and still enough for lying in the sun? And was there enough deckspace for the at-sea days? And how were the sea conditions?

[Oxo]

my fellow passengers who were experienced cruisers they felt MSC was slightly lacking, so I acknowledge and understand your complaints, Nintyleo. They mentioned, for example, not being shown to and around the cabin,

 

Escorting you to your cabin is not done on all cruises. It is only done sometimes. Can you imagine 1,000 passengers being shown to their cabin from noon until say 4pm? I don't need someone to take me to my cabin. As for showing you around a cabin? With 150 sq ft it is hard to fit 3 poeple in a cabin. LOL.

 

food not being prepared especially for you,

 

Some people have a tendency to tell little things that are not true. Lets be reasonable here. If the cruise ship has a menu with various choices to feed 1,500 paseengers, why would a passenger think that they can just ask for anything, regardless if it is not on the menu. How many restruarants allow anyone to go in and order anything that they want if it is not on the menu? I have seen where a special request was accomodated if you gave them 24 hour notice. Someone was pulling your leg. LOL

 

some staff being worked very hard and an overall lack of coherence in the management.

 

This is true of all cruise lines, Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess, etc. They have cut back on staff and I think you can understand why.

 

I wonder how MSC's fares compare to other lines in the US market? I for one am happy to pay two thirds or less and cruise up to twice as often for the same money...

 

We cruise many times a year and are not sticking up for MSC or any Cruise lIne. I am just trying to help you to understand that some people will complain and tell others many stories. If this was your first cruise, it will be you best forever!

 

Welcome to the cruise world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[elc41]

we too were on the 11/23 Lirica transatlantic.

The ship is a paradox we had some of the best service we have had on any cruise line and the ship was probably the cleanest ship we have ever been on but that does not outweigh the negatives.

I think the line has good troops but poor generals.

I wont repeat the comments expressed before but will add the following:

The lack of port information was appalling. We received NO port onformation on Malaga ( it probably didn't make much difference because we were 5-6 hours late docking and the stores had just closed for afternoon siesta and reopened as we had to leave). We docked in San Juan after dark and were handed shopping maps for stores that were already closed. The port and shopping director actually said with a straight face that the best shopping on the cruise was to be found in Antigua. He had obviously never been to St Thomas or his kickbacks were much larger in Antigua.

Even the tour desk was inept. Their presentations were poor. The person doing it just read from a script. For example after listening to their presentations of Funchal, Madeira we thought it was just another waypoint in the Atlantic. Boy were we surprised. It is a really nice island. We enjoyed it so much we may even want to vacation there.

I enjoy using the steam bath and sauna on ships, they charged $12/hr. Just on general principal I would not use them. I never heard of anyone charging for them.

They had no speakers during the 6 consecutive sea days in the Atlantic to break the monotony. They did have the usual arts and crafts/games etc but on ever other transatlantic crossing other lines have had guest lecturers, talks by the ships officers about how the ship runs, kitchen tours and other things to occupy the passengers.

The entertainment was spotty also. Some shows were excellent some were poor. The classical shows were the best especially the three tenors (not Pavarotti and friends though)

You get what you pay for and for what we paid it was not a bad deal But it was still a fair amount of money. I would not cruise that line again.

[nitnyleo]

It's all a blur...

 

We had one day when the waves were running 15-18ft...but the ship handled them okay.

 

For the last 3 days, the seas were glassy...which really surprised me.

 

It was warm...variable cloudiness...some rain...typical for the end of rainy season in the Caribbean.

 

There seems to be ample deck space...pool area got very crowded, but there were chairs still available on the deck above...they do have plenty of space for lounging. Which reminds me of one of the positive design aspects of the ship....the tiered balcony areas on the aft...from deck 7 up, you can go out back for a more relaxing atmosphere than the "zoo" around the pool.

 

PS: My first cruise is my favorite...the ship was so old, the service was minimal...but, the itinerary was A++++, the educational/enrichment programs were A++++....the weather, A++++; Other pax, A+++

[MortgageChick]

Funny how we all see things so differently. As I read this thread I think to myself how can someone think the food on Mercury was inconsistent or poor. We sailed on mercury in Feb this year and without a doubt had the best food and service in the dining room of any or our 14 cruises (Costa,HAL, Carnival, NCL, ROC, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) The food was hot and well prepared and presented. Desserts and soups incredible.

 

But this just shows that we are all so different. I sailed on Costa in 12/03 and found the food to be almost inedible, the service atrocious, the staff self important, and my fellow passengers ( not the cruise lines fault) to be the rudest self centered bunch I had ever sailed with. Now when I posted that, others from that sailing said I was crazy, they thought everything was wonderful. So there you go, we all have different tastes.

 

I sailed on Summit iN Sept this year and while not particularly bad, I found the found and service to be so average, that I cancelled a 14 night cruise on Summit (3/06) that we had booked since 2004. I can go almost anywhere and get average.mediocre , I don't need to pay Celebrity prices

 

Now as far as no weather forecasts and no food available between 5 and 8, no excuse for that.

 

We have never tried MSC, but did see photos of their food on a website and it looks far from appetizing. If the price and itnerary are right I will give them a try , but you won't find me spending top dollar to sail with them.

[goodclicks]

I absolutely agree about the troops and the 'generals' - even the office here in the UK seem very disorganised. Italy as a whole does have a reputation for disorganisation and thoughtless bureaucracy and MSC, I'm afraid to say uphold it. One aspect of cruising "Italian Style" we could do without.

 

I made good use of the rear balconies too. My cabin was last but one on deck 8 and it was a joy to pop out to take in the air last and first thing - the closest I'll get to a private balcony!

 

Forgot to say about the bacon: everyone I spoke to complained about it, but I rather liked it. I found it to be somewhere in-between the American and the British styles.

 

Thank you for the weather and sea reports. It sounds like I had rougher seas to the south of Greece. The ship's channel said the seas were 25-35 feet which I doubted until I saw how far towards the restaurant windows the swells were coming. Although a little queasy, which might have had something to do with the amount I ate at the gala dinner, I coped fine. It sounds like the Atlantic should be reasonable, so maybe I'll treat myself to an Atlantic crossing towards the end of 2006.

 

I am sure too my first cruise will always be the best in my mind whether the standards of the others are higher or not.

[Oxo]

MortgageChick: I really don't think that people see things so differently. I believe it is just the exact meal. Meaning, you can be at a table of 8 and everyone have the same meal. One of the 8 meals maybe over done, tough, no flavor, etc. That is real. The soups on the Mercury cruise that we took were watery and most of them had no taste. French onion soup and no cheese? The presentation was very poor. I don't worry about presentation as long as the food is well prepared. So, I really think that it does depend on the food, how it is prepared, and yes taste. We would not think of going back on Celebrity for a while. We consider the dining a very important part of our cruise evaluation.

 

I find that when people post that a cruise was 'excellent' or 'totally bad' I look for specifics. What makes a cabin steward, waiter or whatever excellent? In reverse, what makes them bad? What were the specifics that made them that way? That is what I look for.

 

I just laugh when someone states that they were on a cruise and were treated like 'Kings and Queens.' Cruise line staffs do not have the time or resources to be that devoted to a person or couple. So we learn to read between the lines. Just like you said about the Costa cruise. We were on the Classic when it first came out and that was a fair cruise. Would we go back? Maybe if the price was right. 'Come on Down'

 

I try to be objective and post my experiences and try to give some realistic advice. Not say that any cruise is out of this world. No such thing in real life. Every experience has some pluses and minuses. You were telling your experiences and that is what people should be looking for. So we both agree that a cruise is different to other people.

 

We will try MSC just to try another cruise line. We have done Celebrity, Costa, HAL, Princess, NCL, RCI and Royal. Each has their own identity.

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[seagulls]

I am disappointed to read all these negatives as I will be sailing on the Opera in January wih some friends who have never cruised before. I really thought that Sasso would streamline MSC but it doesn't look like he is having much influence, at least not yet. What happened to the man from Czechoslovakia who was such a great fan of MSC? I read the post where he stated he was unhappy with Sasso. Next time I looked the post was gone and he has not been heard from since.

 

I am going to keep an open mind and try not compare MSC with Celebrity. How bad can it be to sailing on the ocean blue.

[Oxo]

Seagulls: Every cruise is a plus. Each cruise is what you make it. Sure I have written much about our experience aboard the Mercury. I did this to let others know that Celebrity has shortcomings just like any other cruise line.

 

It amazes me that when someone posts a negative about a ship or specific cruise, the way some people will defend the ship or cruise line even if they did not experience your exact situation.

 

No one cruise line is perfect. The ratings are not 100%. What makes one cruise line 5 star and the other 4 star? I think after cruising many of them, that they are all good. We like Princess overall. The others provide a little different experience so we do cruise others.

Go with the open mind and enjoy yourself. I wish you an excellent cruise. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[henri]

Seagulls, the man from Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore since 1 januari 1993) is ill !! And he still is a BIG MSC-fan. The one who removed his post(s) here, is CommunityManager LauraS.

And Sasso is the man who is ruining MSC in the Carribean. With all his (bad) idea's for Americanizing MSC. Changing the (Italian)food, gratuities, shows, reducing crew, etc.

We -Europeans- are VERY glad that this man does not acting in MED, BALTIC and East-Afrika-coast, so we can enjoy the MSC we like. With wonderfull staff, delicious food, spectacular shows, highly qualified hosts speaking 4 to 6 languages, and the amazing animationteam.

The spontaneity is completely dissappearing in the MSC-Carribbean-cruises.

VERY pitty and sorry about that :mad:.

Henri.

[seagulls]

Henri, my apologizes for not stating the Czech Republic. I am sorry to hear that the gentleman in question is ill. I hope that he has a speedy recovery.

 

In January I will form my own opinion of MSC and I am hoping that it will be a favorable one.

 

Lately there seems to be so many threads pulled from the boards.

[nitnyleo]

My sentiments, also, seagulls.

 

I hope no one thinks that my Lirica experience was absolutely horrible. I did get what I paid for (I think)...I couldn't have afforded 4 weeks sailing as a single on any other line.

 

So, definitely take your open mind....you owe it to your "sailing newbie" friends. Bon Voyage!

 

PS: Just received a promo from my TA for the Opera spring transatlantic back-to-back with a southern Med cruise....I'm giving it serious consideration. At least I'll know what to expect.

[caviargal]

Seagulls, the man from Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore since 1 januari 1993) is ill !! And he still is a BIG MSC-fan. The one who removed his post(s) here, is CommunityManager LauraS.

And Sasso is the man who is ruining MSC in the Carribean. With all his (bad) idea's for Americanizing MSC. Changing the (Italian)food, gratuities, shows, reducing crew, etc.

We -Europeans- are VERY glad that this man does not acting in MED, BALTIC and East-Afrika-coast, so we can enjoy the MSC we like. With wonderfull staff, delicious food, spectacular shows, highly qualified hosts speaking 4 to 6 languages, and the amazing animationteam.

The spontaneity is completely dissappearing in the MSC-Carribbean-cruises.

VERY pitty and sorry about that :mad:.

Henri.

 

Henri, I am friend of czechmate and was with he and Daniel is Paris about ten days ago. He left a message that he was ill but I cannot call him, do not have his number, and am very worried!

 

And his voice message said they are having email problems.

 

Can you be so kind as to email me his phone number so I am call? I would be most appreciative!

 

kim@i-travelagent.com

[tomahawk]

The Lirica is a beautiful ship and after a few days easy to navigate. The Transatlantic crossing was long but fun. The staff was very nice, but with all diferent languages and nationalities it had some problems. The disembarkment at Malaga was disorganized at best. We were late getting into port and a near panic to get off the ship almost brokeout. The staff tried to bring order by putting up a rope barrier to limit the access to the gangway by a large croud of passengers behind us. The force of the crowd surge behind us actutually pushed us over one of the barriers. If anyone had actually fallen they would have been trampled.

 

Our cabin staff were excellent. Yeni and Luc kept our cabin immaculate. The wait staff was undermanned and my water glass often went empty and food was good, but sometimes slow in arriving. I am used to empty dishes being removed quickly and replaced with the next course on other cruiselines.

 

However the staff was very friendly.

 

The entertainment was pretty good, but having to translate everything into six or seven languades had its problems. This was OK on some things. But jokes and dialogue tended to be drug out. Announcements were also long since it had to be translated several times.

 

The pools and hot tubs closed rather early each day. They seamed to close at eight or nine in the evening. On other cruises we have taken, they remained open to one or two in the morning, especially the hot tubs. On this ship there were only two small hot tubs and they were constantly filled with four or five people when they were open. Dance contests were more ballroom dancing, rather than American classics like the Twist, Jitterbug or Polkas. The bands tried hard to sing some English songs but you could tell it was not their native language and they were doing the songs phonetically.

 

But I don't want to give a negative impression. Overall the cruise was a lot of fun, but the itinerary needs to be adjusted so that you don't get into Malaga four hours late, Funchel and Martinique on Sundays when the shops were closed and San Juan from 9PM to 5AM. Also the Transit of the Strait of Gibralter should be done in daylight.

 

The people we met on the ship were a lot of fun and we hope to keep contact with them in the future by exchanging addresses.

 

The deck staff constantly kept the ship clean and fairly spotless.

 

would I do it again. A big yes!, but they need to make a few adjustments to the Itinerary.